The 400 students at Howard Elementary in Eugene are spending their last couple of weeks in their old facility. Next fall, they’ll start classes in a new, modern building. Generations of students and teachers will bid farewell to the old school Wednesday evening.
Howard Elementary Principal Allan Chinn knows this school well. He was a student here in the 1970s and 80s.
Chinn: “It’s going to be strange seeing the old building get demolished since it’s my old childhood building when I was a student here and it was my first teaching job here at Howard too. You know, it’s a very tired, old building but now that it’s getting closer to it getting demolished, I’m starting to get more nostalgic about the old building.”
The original Howard Elementary was built in 1949. It’s single-story and looks much like others of the same time period. The new school is light-filled, spacious. On a tour, Chinn points out several outdoor learning spaces.
Chinn: “We also looked at a lot of energy efficiencies throughout the building. One thing we do is we do rainwater capture, so we salvage all the rainwater that falls and we capture that in big cisterns under the building. We use that for flushing toilets and we use it for irrigating our school garden.”
The school is made up of three wings: green, blue and yellow.
Chinn: “So in our stairwells, in each section, we highlight the energy efficiencies of the building. So we’re in the green wing right now and this is the wing where we highlight our use of sunlight and natural light throughout the building.”
Chinn says there are some fun aspects to the new space. One is kid-size reading nooks in the library.
The new building has security features including a vestibule at the front door so during school hours, no one can enter unobserved.
Chinn: “Once school starts, everyone has to get a nametag, get a badge to go wherever they’re going. And the nametags all say where they’re going as well too and that way when staff see an adult in the building, they can look to see if they have their nametag and that lets us know that they have been cleared through the office.”
The new Howard Elementary was built to withstand earthquakes. Chinn says the current one is at minimum standards but this one is more seismically sturdy. About 80 percent of Howard students are on free and reduced meal plans.
Chinn: “So it is nice that one of the higher poverty schools is getting to be in one the nicest brand-new facilities in the school district.”
Chinn says Howard students and staff are very excited to move to the new building next year. 4th grader Daisy Close is about to get on the bus outside the old Howard Elementary. She has toured the new one.
Close: “I like how they’re using the rainwater to use for the toilets and stuff so we don’t have to waste water.”
Rachael: “What do you think of your old building?”
Close: “I liked it. But I like the new building better.”
The Eugene 4j District is having a Farewell Celebration for the Old Howard Elementary Building this evening (Wednesday) from 5:30 to 7.
